


The space between

by Nary



Category: Books of the Raksura - Martha Wells
Genre: Backrubs, Chime Needs A Hug, Cuddling & Snuggling, Multi, Polyamory, Pregnancy, Sleepy Cuddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-19
Updated: 2015-12-19
Packaged: 2018-05-07 13:53:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5458835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nary/pseuds/Nary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chime had expected - worried, if he was honest - that things between them might change when Jade and Moon made a clutch together.  A pregnant queen's temperament tended to grow more volatile, and she would be increasingly selective about who she wanted to have around her, and especially who was allowed to touch her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The space between

**Author's Note:**

  * For [james](https://archiveofourown.org/users/james/gifts).



Chime had expected - worried, if he was honest - that things between them might change when Jade and Moon made a clutch together. A pregnant queen's temperament tended to grow more volatile, and she would be increasingly selective about who she wanted to have around her, and especially who was allowed to touch her. Moon would make the cut, of course, and her clutchmate Balm would be allowed to stay close, and mentors like Heart would be able to check on her and make sure the pregnancy was going as it should. If Chime had still been a mentor, he would have been all right, but as he was a warrior now, he wasn't sure whether Jade would still want him around as her time grew closer.

Jade was short-tempered with everyone lately, so Chime should have known better than to take it personally when she snapped at him. If he hadn't already been worried about things, maybe the argument would have blown over before long. All he had been doing was telling Thistle about how nice it had been outside that day, the weather finally clear after days of rain, and so warm that he'd flown up to one of the highest platforms and stretched out there to enjoy the sun on his scales.

"Stop talking about flying. Stop talking about outside," Jade grumbled, pushing herself up to a seated position with some effort. "Just stop talking."

"I thought maybe you'd like to hear," Chime said defensively. "Even if you can't go out yourself..." 

Jade hissed angrily. "I _know_ I can't go out. I'm stuck in here with people who won't shut up!"

Not wanting to make her more upset, Chime retreated to the quiet of the library. He didn't entirely feel like he belonged there either, not anymore, but it was still the place he felt most comfortable. The books and scrolls weren't going to yell at him, and no one else was likely to even notice he was there. Tonight, though, the cool glow of the light stones wasn't soothing, and he read the same words over and over again, unable to concentrate on their meaning. He started to wonder where he should sleep, if he couldn't go back to Jade's chambers. His bower had been mostly emptied out, but he thought there was still a blanket there, unless one of the others had borrowed it...

"Aren't you coming to bed? Or did you get caught up in reading whatever that is?" 

Chime turned and saw Moon standing there, hands on his hips. He looked puzzled, and impatient, and maybe a bit concerned. 

"No," Chime said, burying his head in his book again. "You go ahead without me. I'll find somewhere else to sleep."

Moon's expression became even more confused. "What's wrong, Chime?"

He hesitated. "I... I don't think Jade wants me there. I'm getting on her nerves."

"Everyone's getting on her nerves," Moon pointed out. "She's getting on her own nerves. That doesn't mean you can't sleep there. After all, you don't talk in your sleep," he teased.

Chime looked over at him uncertainly. "Sometimes I feel like maybe she only puts up with having me so close because of you. Because of us."

"That's silly," Moon told him, but he put his arm around Chime's shoulders as well. He knew what it was like to feel unwanted and unwelcome, even if it wasn't rational. "Jade knows I care about you, but she cares about you too. If she didn't want you nearby, she'd let you know in no uncertain terms."

Chime curled up against Moon miserably. "Maybe she will. The closer the babies get, the fewer people she'll want around her. What if I'm not one of them?"

Moon nipped at his neck affectionately. "Chime... even if Jade needs space for a little while, it doesn't mean she doesn't ever want you to come back." He paused, as if considering whether to continue. "Is this really about Jade being irritated with you today, or is it something bigger? Is it about the babies?"

"Maybe," Chime said in a small voice. "I always thought I'd have a clutch or two of my own someday. Then all of a sudden..." He shrugged, helpless. "I thought I'd gotten used to it. Just one of the other things that I lost. Maybe I haven't, though."

Moon nodded. "I don't blame you for feeling sad. I guess I was the opposite of you - I never thought I'd have children, and that always hurt a little. Now that it's really happening, I don't know what I'm supposed to feel half the time. But I know whatever happens, I need you there with me. I promise you'll be one of the first ones to see the babies, and you'll always be important in their lives - and in mine and Jade's."

Chime nuzzled against Moon's shoulder. "You mean it?"

"Yes, you idiot, I mean it. Now come to bed."

"Are you sure Jade won't mind?" Chime asked, still hesitating slightly. 

Moon rolled his eyes. "She's the one who told me to go looking for you. She definitely doesn't mind."

"Well, you could have said that from the start!" Chime let himself be pulled out of the library and back towards the queens' hall.

Jade was still awake when they got there, sitting bent forward to try and stretch her sore back. Balm was asleep nearest the hearth, and Thistle and Heart were curled up nearby. Chime and Moon moved quietly through the room to avoid waking them as they joined Jade in the nest of furs and cushions that were serving as a bed now that she had a hard time making it up into the bower.

"About time," Jade muttered. "You had me worried I was going to have to send out a search party."

Moon settled himself beside her, and Chime hovered cautiously for a moment, eyeing Jade. 

"Are you waiting for a formal invitation?" she asked, and gave him a weary smile.

"It might be nice," he admitted shyly.

"Chime," Jade said softly, "stop fussing and sit down. If you need to know that you're wanted here, you could rub my back. That'd be amazing."

Chime moved behind Jade, and began kneading her back. She couldn't shift to her winged form now, but she was still scaled, and he knew he had to put some force into his massage for her to feel it. She sighed, leaning against Moon, who rubbed her thigh with one hand and stroked Chime's back with the other. Chime worked his knuckles against her tense muscles, focusing with care on spots where she winced or felt especially tender. Moon watched closely, observing his techniques - this skill was something that Jade had often said she wished her consort would learn, and Chime hadn't forgotten everything about being a mentor. Even if he couldn't send healing energy into Jade's aching back, he could do the next best thing.

"All right," she sighed eventually, "I need to lie down. Preferably propped with cushions." 

Moon and Chime worked together to help make Jade as comfortable as possible, tucking pillows behind her back and under the curve of her belly, draping a fur over her legs to keep her warm. Normally Moon would cuddle up beside her, and Chime would be next to him. Moon was the one they were both happiest to be close to, so having him in the middle made sense. But tonight, Jade gestured for Chime to lie down next to her. He did as she indicated, any feeling of being out of place quickly dispelled when Moon curled up at his back.

Both of them wrapped their arms around him, so that Chime was enveloped in warmth and comfort. With Jade's rounded belly pressed against him, he could even faintly feel an occasional kick or wriggle from the babies, as though they were reaching out to him too. "Don't worry," Jade mumbled, "you're not going anywhere."

"Definitely not," Moon agreed sleepily, nuzzling Chime's neck in a way that made him shiver pleasantly. "You'd have to annoy her a lot more first."

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on Tumblr at [naryrising](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/naryrising) if you want to ask questions, make requests, or chat!


End file.
